He Opened the Door For All Generations:
The Medrash (Tanchuma Lech Lecha 17) states: “Why didn’t he circumcise himself until he was 99-years-old? To teach us that if a person wants to convert, he should not say, “I am old. How can I become a ger?’ One should learn from Avrohom, who circumcised himself at the age of 99.”
The Chidushei Harim zy”a (quoted in Sefer Likutei Yehuda) uses this idea to explain the words “and he was sitting by the door of the tent.” He understands this to mean that Avrohom Avinu opened the door to all future generations and taught us that everyone can become a ger even in his old age. So too, every Jew can “remove the arlah of his heart” and reinvent himself as an upright and devoted servant of Hashem, at any time and in any situation, even if he is old and weak.
Avrohom Could Not Stand Because It Was Not The Will of Hashem:
Rav Eliezer Dovid Friedman zt”l (Hagadah M’Pi Sefarim V’Sofrim, page 359) relates the following story about the wealthy chasid, Rav Naftali Ungar zt”l, who was accustomed to distributing large sums of money to tzedakah.
One day a pauper came to Rav Naftali and said that he deserves to be given a larger than normal amount of money because, as a young man many years before, he had spent time in the presence of the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a.
(Rav Naftali was a chasid of Rav Menachem Mendel, “the Saraf”, of Kotzk zy”a, who was a student of the Chozeh. Therefore, he greatly respected anyone who had studied under the Chozeh.)
Rav Naftali told him, “If you tell me some words of Torah that you heard from the Chozeh, I will give you a gold coin!”
The poor man said, “Rashi on Parshas Vayeira says that Hashem visited Avrohom Avinu on the third day after his bris. Avrohom wanted to stand up, but Hashem said, ‘You sit and I will stand, and you will be a sign for your children that I am destined to stand in the congregation of the judges, and they will sit.’
“The Chozeh asked why Avrohom didn’t just stand up. What does it mean that he ‘wanted to stand’?
“The Chozeh answered that every move and gesture that Avrohom made was with the will of Hashem. Since Hashem didn’t want him to stand, he was unable to stand. His body would not stand up, even though he wanted to stand. Hashem explained to him that the reason he was unable to stand was because He wanted him to sit as a sign for his children...”
When Rav Naftali heard this vort, he handed the pauper a gold coin.
The Malachim Learned Self-Control From Avrohom:
Rashi states: “Chazyuhu d’havi shari v’asur...When they saw that he was untying and tying [his bandages], they separated (‘pirshu’) from him. Immediately, ‘he ran toward them.’”
Sefer Tiferes Shlomo says that the words “shari v’asur” can be translated to mean that the angels saw Avrohom forbidding (“asur”) upon himself even certain things that technically are permitted (“shari”). He was sanctifying himself by exerting self-control and refraining from indulging even in things that are not technically forbidden.
From Avrohom, they learned the concept of “prishus”. This is what is meant when it says that they “separated” (“pirshu”) from him. Even the angels were amazed by this level of self-control and they learned this trait of prishus from Avrohom.
He Recognized That They Were Greater Than Him:
My grandfather, the Kretchnifer Rebbe zy”a, explains this pasuk by quoting his grandfather, Rav Mordchele of Nadvorna zy”a, who said, “Every Yid must believe that every other Jew is more important than him.”
The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 48:9) says that when the three men approached Avrohom, one appeared to him as a merchant, one looked like a sea captain, and one looked like an Arab. Although they didn’t look like distinguished people, he still felt that they were “netzavim ailav”, i.e., that they were standing above him, because he felt the holiness they possessed as Divine angels.
The Reward for Welcoming Guests:
The Imrei Emes zy”a (quoted in Sefer Likutei Yehuda) asks why Avrohom said that he would “take” a piece of bread, rather than saying that he would “give” them a piece of bread.
He answers by quoting the Medrash (Vayikroh Rabbah 34:10 and Rus Rabbah 5:9) that states: “More than what a homeowner does for a pauper, the pauper does for the homeowner.” In other words, the host gets more reward from his mitzvah of feeding the poor than the poor man gets from him. Therefore, Avrohom said that he was “taking” because he was getting a lot of reward for his mitzvah.
He Welcomed Guests Even Though He Thought They Were Arabs:
Sefer Maaseh Tzadikim quotes the following incredible story in the name of Sefer Devarim Aravim, which teaches us the importance of warmly welcoming guests.
Rav Leib Sarah’s zt”l would often visit a certain city. Every time he went there, he was hosted by a local melamed, who was a big yarei Hashem. In that same city there lived a very wealthy man who hosted many guests, including many gedolei hador.
The rich man once asked the melamed if he could host Rav Leib the next time he came to their town. He said, “The next time Rav Leib comes, can you ask him if he could please stay by me?”
When Rav Leib arrived, he agreed to stay by the wealthy man. He rode his horse and buggy to the man’s yard, and the butler came out to take his suitcase and personal items and bring them into the house. The servant also fed the horse and then led Rav Leib into the house.
Rav Leib found himself alone in the entranceway to the house. The man of the house was not home and no one was around to tell him which room he would be sleeping in, so he stood by the door to wait.
The man’s wife came to the door and saw him but did not recognize who he was. She saw a traveler dressed in simple clothes. To her, he looked like a vagabond who had wandered in on his own. She was hosting the Apta Rov zy”a that Shabbos and was very busy preparing the house for his arrival. She had no time for stragglers off the street and she yelled for the servant to remove him and his horse from the premises saying, “This is not a guesthouse!”
Rav Leib told her that her husband had invited him but she screamed that she did not agree to host him and that he had to leave immediately.
Rav Leib said to himself, “If I am not wanted here, I will go.” He got on his horse and went back to the home of the melamed. He told him all that had transpired and said that he would be staying by him.
The melamed let the wealthy man know what had happened, and the man was extremely upset. He didn’t know how to properly apologize to Rav Leib, so he brought his dilemma to his rebbi, the Apta Rov zy”a.
The Apta Rov told him, “Rav Leib will certainly come to my tish. You can apologize to him then.”
Rav Leib did, in fact, come to the tish and spent a good deal of time conversing with the Apta Rov. Meanwhile, the rich man stood to the side in a very sad mood.
As they were speaking, the Apta Rov told Rav Leib that the rich man’s wife did not know who he was and did not mean to insult him. He therefore asked him to forgive them for their inadvertent mistake.
Rav Leib replied, “Chazal refer to Avrohom Avinu as the greatest machnis orech. However, from reading the pesukim it seems that Lot was greater than him. It says that Avrohom made his guests wash the dirt off their feet before entering his house. It also says that he offered them ‘a bit of water’, which he gave them through a messenger and not on his own. Lot, however, allowed his guests to come in with their dirty feet and he served them matzohs on his own, without the use of a messenger. He even risked his life and was willing to give up his daughters to save the lives of his guests. If so, why isn’t Lot considered the greatest machnis orech?
“The answer is that when the angels came to Avrohom, they were disguised as Arabs. Still and all, he brought them into his own and took care of them. That is a true machnis orech. When they came to Lot, they came as angels. Lot was willing to host a ‘rebbe’ and take care of him, but that doesn’t make him a true machnis orech. In truth, he was nothing more than a drunkard.”
Sadly, this rich man eventually became a drunkard and lost all of his money.
The Greatness of Welcoming Simple People as Guests:
The following story illustrates the same point – that one must welcome all guests warmly, not only distinguished-looking people:
The Ropshitzer Rebbe zy”a was once traveling to visit the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a. As he traveled, he became very hungry, and he stopped at an inn for some food. However, the innkeeper refused to give him anything, and he was forced to continue traveling without any food until he arrived in Lublin.
Several days later, he set out on a journey together with the Chozeh, and they stopped by the same inn. The innkeeper prepared a large meal in honor of the Chozeh, replete with many delicacies. As he brought out the food on a fancy tray, the Ropshitzer pushed him and all of the food fell on the floor. The innkeeper then prepared another tray of food, but the Ropshitzer pushed him again and caused that tray to fall as well.
The innkeeper then became very angry and began to yell at the Ropshitzer. When the Chozeh saw this, he understood there was a reason for the Ropshitzer’s actions and he asked for an explanation.
The Ropshitzer answered by asking the question of why the Torah considers Avrohom to be a greater machnis orech than Lot, and he explained that Avrohom welcomed guests whom he thought were Arabs, while Lot only welcomed guests because he knew they were angels. He continued, “The first time I came to this inn, I was not given any food. But when the rebbe comes, this man prepares a huge seudah!”
He Hid His Greatness:
Rashi says that Sarah was a tzanuah.
The Bais Yisroel of Ger zy”a (quoted in Sefer Likutei Yehuda) would often speak about Rav Yitzchok of Drohovitch zy”a, whom he described as a tzadik who hid his greatness. He related that the chasidim wanted to see how Rav Yitzchok served Hashem in private. They attempted several times to hide in his room, but he always sensed their presence. He once told them, “The malachim in Shomayim heard about Avrohom Avinu’s greatness. They wondered who this man was who was so great that worlds trembled before him.
“They decided to come down to earth in order to visit him and see his holy avodah. When they arrived at his home, however, they just saw an old man running to slaughter three cows and to bake bread for his guests. He was hiding his greatness from them and they could not see his holy ways. They then thought that perhaps his wife would reveal some of his great ways to them. Therefore, they asked him where Sarah was. Avrohom realized what they were trying to do and said that she was in the tent. He told them that she was a tzanuah and she would not reveal anything to them either.”
Midas Hachesed is Included in Every Event:
Rav Yitzchok of Vorka zy”a (Sefer Bais Yitzchok) sees a hint from this verse that no happening occurs on this world that does not contain an aspect of Hashem’s midas hachesed. Even in times of strict judgment, Hashem includes an aspect of kindness and mercy.
When Hashem destroyed Sodom, He punished them severely, but He used his midas hachesed to save Lot. Thus, the pasuk can be read to be saying that Hashem does not conceal “His Avrohom”, which is a reference to His middah of chesed, even at this time of destruction.
The Midas Hachesed is in Everyone’s Actions:
Sefer Zera Kodesh also writes that Avrohom signifies Hashem’s middah of chesed. Every day, Hashem creates new forms of kindness, as is stated (Eichah 3:23): “There are many new one’s every morning.” “Morning” is a reference to chesed. Thus, the pasuk is saying that many new forms of chesed are created every day.
He sees the same idea from the pasuk that says that Avrohom was sitting by the door of the tent. This indicates that as soon as a person comes to the opening – to the start of his day of serving Hashem – He sits with him with His middah of chesed. He does not wait for the person to begin serving Him. Rather, as soon as a person comes to the door to begin serving Hashem, His middah of chesed comes to his aid.
Tzadikim in The Midst of the City:
Rav Zushe of Anipoli zy”a (quoted in Sefer Toras Haremez) said that if someone secludes himself in his room and does not go out into the street at all, it is not so hard for him to watch his mouth and refrain from forbidden speech. But if someone goes out amongst other people, it is much harder.
Accordingly, Avrohom Avinu said that in order to save Sodom, he needed to find tzadikim “in the midst of the city, i.e., people who remained righteous even when they were amongst others, and not only when they were at home.
A Warm Tefillah in the Merit of the Tzibur:
My father, the Kretchnifer Rebbe shlita (quoted in Gilyon Divrei Torah Kretchnif-Yerushalaim) explains that the word “nah” (please) indicates a “bakasha” (requests), as is stated in Maseches Brachos (9A). The Sefarim Hakedoshim (see Zera Kodesh on Parshas Lech Lecha in the name of the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a) explains this to mean tefillah. The word “achi” (my brothers) indicates warmth, as is seen from the verse in Yirmiyahu (36:22): “And the ‘ach’ before him was burning.” The word “tarayu” (do bad) indicates “rayus”, which means friendliness amongst the public.
Thus, the pasuk is saying that if one wants to daven with warmth, the best way to do this is to pray together with the tzibur. When one joins a group of Yidden to daven, he will find it much easier to pray with warmth and devotion. Furthermore, his prayers will join together with the prayers of Klal Yisroel. For this reason, the Arizal says that before a person begins to daven, he should say, “I accept upon myself to fulfill the mitzvah to love every Jew like myself.”
The pasuk is saying that if one wants to daven with warmth, he should accept to be friendly with all Jews, and this will add enthusiasm and fire to his davening.
When Enemies Become Friends:
The Modzhitzer Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Divrei Yisroel) quotes his grandfather, Rav Yechezkel of Kuzmir zy”a, as also explaining this pasuk to be referring to tefillah. He says that the way for a person to know if he prayed correctly is if one had an enemy before he began to pray, and after he finishes davening, he feels in his heart that this man is now his good friend. This is a clear sign that his davening was powerful and made an impression Above.
Thus, the pasuk is saying that one’s prayer is not considered genuine (“al nah”) and true if “achi tarayu” – he still has bad feelings towards one of his fellow Jews.
Shabbos Vayeira is Like Rosh Hashanah:
My father, the Kretchnifer Rebbe shlita (quoted in Gilyon Divrei Torah Kretchnif-Yerushalaim) speaks about the fact that on this Shabbos, we read the kriyah of Rosh Hashanah. It is known that reading about a certain time arouses the influence of that time. Accordingly, on this Shabbos, we arouse the sanctity of Rosh Hashanah.
With this in mind, he quotes the explanation of Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev zy”a on the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 29B) that says: “The yomtov of Rosh Hashanah that falls out on Shabbos...” Rav Levi Yitzchok asks why it says “the yomtov of Rosh Hashanah that falls out on Shabbos”, rather than just saying “Rosh Hashanah that falls out on Shabbos...”
He answers that if Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbos it is a very good and happy day. It is true yomtov. This is because Chazal say (Rosh Hashanah 16B) that three books are open on Rosh Hashanah. Complete tzadikim are written and sealed immediately in the book of life. Complete reshaim are written and sealed immediately in the book of death. Beinonim (mid-level people) are in limbo and waits for their judgment from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur.
On every other year, it is permitted to write in these books on yomtov because that is the mitzvah of the day. But when Rosh Hashanah is on Shabbos, it is forbidden to write unless it is a matter of life and death. Therefore, it is permitted to write people’s names in the book of life because that is pikuach nefesh, but it is forbidden to write anyone’s name in the book of death. Therefore, when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, it is truly a “yomtov” – a good day for everyone.
My father explains that “the yomtov of Rosh Hashanah that falls out on Shabbos” can be seen as a reference to the Shabbos of Parshas Vayeirah, which is akin to the day of Rosh Hashanah and is, therefore, a “yomtov” that contains much joy. This is because the day of Shabbos represents teshuva performed out of love, which transforms intentional sins into merits, and thereby tips the scales to the side of good as a result of these merits.
A Hint to Teshuva in This Parshah:
We actually find a hint to Rosh Hashanah in this week’s Parshah. The pasuk states (22:24): “And Maacha.” Rav Yitzchok of Vorka zy”a notes that “Maacha” is an acronym for “V’raboseinu omrim teshuva maga’as ad kisei hakavod.” (And our teachers said that teshuva reaches Hashem’s throne of glory.) We thus read this Parshah on Rosh Hashanah to hint to the greatness of teshuva.
Hashem Was With Him:
Sefer Siach Sarfei Kodesh quotes Rav Yaakov Dovid of Amshinov zy”a as asking: If Hashem was with Yishmoel, why did he become an archer? He answers that the reason for this was because “he grew”. In other words, he became haughty and full of himself because he knew that Hashem was with him. This led to his downfall.
The Bechirah of the Akeidah:
The Meforshim ask why obeying Hashem and bringing...
